


The Queen's Pet

by ShittakeRamen12



Series: Animals Verse [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: And The Begining of season two, Changing the end of season one, Gen, Kitten Love Solves Everything, Regina-centric, Snuggle Coping, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, a bit dark, it gets better though, kitten adoption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-04 00:56:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11544066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShittakeRamen12/pseuds/ShittakeRamen12
Summary: So the curse was broken and Henry hated her with a passion that impressed her about as much as it broke her heart. To top if off Gold was trying to pawn a random cat off on her.





	The Queen's Pet

**Author's Note:**

> I imagine Regina as a reluctant cat person and a secret dog lover, but that's a story for another time. Just a small one shot for my fav Anti-Hero. Also I am a big supporter of CatLady on YouTube so if you plan on getting a kitten or have really small kittens her videos will really help you out with caring for them. I am not getting paid to say that I will be using her in this so I just wanted to say that first.

Regina hissed out a breath as the blood drained away down her bathtub drain. The pink color of the water swirled down the pipes. Pain she could understand, pain was the only comfort she had in life. The only sure thing that came out of any and everything she touched. She ignores the mirror on her vanity as she wraps another cut. It's bound to scar, without magic nothing would heal the way it use to. She likes the scars, they were a constant reminder that she wasn't the 'Evil Queen' anymore she was just Regina Mills Mayor (for the time being) and _Ex_ -Mom to the Saviour's son.

She was feeling a storm of emotions inside her body but to the rest of the town and a paranoid Emma Swan she was taking the absence of Henry fairly well. Regina wasn't even using energy to fight Swan for Henry. She would not be her mother, she wouldn't do the things Cora _did_. The ding of her door bell was not a surprise. She had been expecting an angry mob of villagers to grace her doorstep for days. Seeing Gold's smug face was not what she expected to see.

"I'd _rather_ have the angry mob." She sasses in greeting.

Gold smile is shark like as he pushes a small fuzz of fur into her hands. His noise is an angry red and he holds the fur ball like it will kill him if he touches it the wrong way.

"This _thing_ will be the death of me. In this realm _Gold_  apparently has allergies when it comes to animals."

She gives him a bitter smile but has to jerk to catch the bundle before it hits the hard pavement of her stoop. Regina can read the annoyance behind Gold's calm face the racing question of how a kitten was even in a town where the only animal was Pongo. She held the ball of fuzz in her hands gently liking it better than her prized horse, simply because she was a threat to Gold. Regina turned the kitten over to check for sure if it was a she. Yes definitely a girl. Gold walks off leaving Regina with a small bundle of kitten and a gut feeling that he was up to something.

"What am I going to do with you?" She asks the kitten as she closes the door with her hip.

The small ball is barely bigger than her hand and its eye's are shut. Regina wants to curse her bad luck and Gold. She doesn't know the first thing about taking care of baby kittens. Luckily that's what the internet was for. One of the few good memories she has left of Henry's time with her is him teaching her about the internet. Once she settled with the kitten warmly in an old baby blanket of Henry's sleeping she searching the web for any advice she can find. Judging from what the CatLady website her small one was under a ten days old. Blind and death she was helpless. Regina glanced down at the sleeping bundle pouting to no one.

She was already in love with the small kitten and really the fur ball needed her. She wasn't so cruel as to leave a small kitten without a home and mother. She had some free time on her hands now that Henry was gone she could do this. It was like raising a kid but different. After printing out the schedule to follow for feeding times and the steps to take Regina placed her small fur ball in the front seat. There was one store that cratered to pets and it one was one of the few places that was run by a person not in the whole Snow White-Evil Queen sphere.

Harridan Peters had been a farmer in the old days and then a breeder once he grew older. His job in Storybrook wasn't so different from what he use to do. In a way it was better and he didn't have to worry about paying taxes to a corrupt king. Unlike some people he could name he was part of a small group who seen the curse as a answer to their prayers. Life was better and he wasn't looked down upon for who he was or what he did. There was no class system and everyone got a say in what happened in the town. Yes life was much better for Peters. He was surprise though when on his slowest day during his tea break the Ex-Queen herself strolls in eyes seeking him out as if he were the savior.

"Madame Mayor what can I do for you?" He asks politely.

Regina explains her recent forlay into pet parenthood. Peters is understanding and makes a pledge to help in any way he can. Regina graces him with a rare smile. Peters knows than why people call her _beautiful_. Peters knows pets have a way of helping fit the demons lurking in the dark corners of a person mind. He has two dog of his own that have helped the transition of the curse breaking.

Regina leaves the store a hour later feeling much better than before. The next few days would be very important for the kittens development, Peters had told her, which reminded her of the first few days of having a newborn Henry home. On the plus side her little Nala (she finally settled on a name) stuck to a schedule of feeding and bathing's. The journals and pictures she kept of Nala's development had sort of consumed her life. Regina was pretty sure she was becoming an obsessive cat parent.

The next time Emma Swan actually saw Regina Mills she was on the floor of her office using a toothbrush to ...whatever she was doing to a small kitten that was purring and making the cutest whines. It was such a bizarre sight that she stopped short for a moment. Her brain taking a minute to confirm that yes this is _real_.

"Yes Miss Swan how can I help you?" Regina asked sweetly using one hand to cover a heating pad with a blanked while Nala licks her with her tiny tongue.

Emma blinked, "Um Madame Mayor I don't know if you know this but because  Gold did a thing magic is back in StoryBrook and some people think it would be best if you take some time off and just stay home till everything is sorted out."

Regina didn't look at her the whole time Emma spoke. Her focus was on the kitten she was putting down for a nap in her kitten carrier. Finally she puts her full attention on Swan making the blonde shift nervously.

"By other people I'm sure you mean your parents. I find it funny that I'm being asked to stay in my house when the Imp can go around free like nothings happened when he's the one who brought magic back _amongst other things_."

Emma bites her lip.

"I understand that this seems unfair but you are the 'Evil Queen' and it would make people feel better."

"Okay if that's what will help people sleep at night." Regina calmly replies.

Emma blinks in surprise. This seems way to easy considering it's _Regina Mills_. A part of her wants to pet the kitten(its a freaking kitten) but her self perseveration keeps her from doing something unwelcomed. Regina hums picking up the bag gently and packing her paperwork away. Swan follows her to the car as she places a sleeping Nala in the front seat before getting in her car on the drivers side.

"I'll help you out here Miss Swan I will step down as the Mayor and I'll even give you your son legally. However, in return I don't want you or your do good parents gracing my doorstep for anything. Your problems are _your_ problems. Frankly if you think I'm the only one posing a threat here then you have bigger problems than you think. Either way you won't be needing the help of an 'Evil Queen'. Good day Miss Swan."

Emma stands on the side walk in front of the main building in shock for a few minutes. She didn't want to think about what Regina could mean about her being less of a threat. She was the Evil Queen right? The one everyone was scared of? The woman she didn't want anywhere near her son? Emma cursed she didn't have time for this. They needed to find another Mayor because she didn't _do_ paperwork.

As the weeks past Nala got stronger and opened her eyes. Soon she was eating soft solid foods and more aware of her surrounding. Regina heart clenched her little one was growing so fast. She been so busy taking care of Nala she hadn't had time for nightmares or stray thoughts about Henry for weeks. Gold stayed away from her truly scared of the small bundle that just learned to climb on things and cause her mommy to have panic attacks. Things weren't perfect but they were better than they been in thirty years.

She'd heard whispers of things happening and Swan had tried on several occasion to pull her into their issues, but she soon found out that she meant what she had said. No matter what happened and how many people Gold sent as the middle man she wouldn't get involved in anything. For the first time in a long time she had someone ( a kitten but really Nala was freaking adorable) who loved her and didn't judge her and she had someone she could love without fear of being hurt.

That was enough for her. With a glass of cider and a warm black Nala purring at her side what more could she want.

 


End file.
